Forecast

Westhill recovers missing AP test sheets

By Nora Naughton| on July 17, 2017

STAMFORD — A batch of missing AP test answer sheets were found in a locked closet in the loading dock at Westhill High School, ending a frantic weeklong search.

The missing answer sheets, which should have been picked up by UPS after the second week of testing, were discovered Friday and sent to the College Board. They were delivered Monday morning, according to Westhill Principal Mike Rinaldi.

He said a long-standing poor procedure led to the answer sheets being misplaced.

The school has for more than 20 years depended on a custodian to transport the securely packaged answer sheets to the loading dock, where they are physically handed to the UPS delivery driver.

In this case, the custodian and UPS driver missed each other and the package containing the answer sheets was left in the secure closet and forgotten.

“This is a bad procedure that’s been in place for too long,” Rinaldi said. “In the future, whenever test materials are ready for transport, we will require that these materials are handled by the responsible faculty member, who will remain with the test materials until UPS arrives and scans the package. Something like this can’t possibly happen if the test coordinator is with them.”

Several students and parents were concerned about how the missing AP scores, which only included exams administered during the second week of testing, would affect college registration and application deadlines.

Rinaldi, who became principal on July 1, said the district is sympathetic to these issues, and assured “procedures are going to be in place where this will never happen again, period.”

It was not immediately known Monday when the College Board will release the test scores.

“We will call the College Board every day until this gets taken care of,” Rinaldi said.

Rinaldi will hold an information meeting at 7 p.m. Monday in the Westhill media center to answer questions from parents and students.